Harvard Rowing Earns Five Medals at U-23 World Championships

Pictured: Patrick Lapage, bronze medalist for Great Britain
in seat 3 and Josh Hicks, silver medalist for Australia in the bow,
make their way back to the dock in mixed lineups at the U-23 World
Championships.

TRAKI, Lithuania - With five medalists amidst
seven competitors, Harvard rowers had a successful week at the U-23
World Championships in Trakai, Lithuania.

Incoming freshman Jay Ditmarsch '16 finished on the podium for
Australia in Men's Quad Sculls with a bronze medal behind the
Ukraine and Italy. In a fluctuating race Australia was fourth
through 1000m, before improving to second with only 500m remaining,
before settling for bronze in 6:01.00, just 0.13 of a second behind
Italy.

Fellow freshman Vincent Breet '16 was part of a South African
team that placed second in Men's Pairs with a time of 6:46.34, just
behind the gold-winning British team with a time of 6:44.85.

Among 21 crews to earn spots on the U.S. team, Harvard's Austin
Meyer and teammate Nick Trojan had a distinct Harvard connection as
the pair was coached by Linda Muri. They narrowly missed a spot in
the podium in the men's lightweight doubles, finishing fourth in
the final event with a time of 6:54.33. The duo recorded the
best-ever finish for an American boat by coming back from a sixth
place in the middle 1000m of the race. In the end, Harvard's pair
could not pick off the defending World Champions and record holder,
Germany, which finished in third.

Harvard had three medalists in the Men's Four. Junior Josh Hicks helped
the Australian side to a silver medal with a time of 6:28.67, just
less than a second ahead of Great Britain's time of 6:29.62 with
Harvard sophomore Andrew Holmes
and senior Patrick
Lapage.

Also narrowly missing the podium for Harvard was incoming
freshman Adam Janes '16, who helped the British Eight to a fourth
place finish.